Recent research carried out in Canada shows that St John’s wort may help bring relief to symptoms such as sleeplessness and hot flushes in women in the years leading up to the menopause (known as the perimenopause).
A double-blind randomised clinical trial was set up to look at a group of perimenopausal women aged between 40 and 65 years. They were asked to keep a symptom diary and after three months the women taking St John’s wort reported fewer symptoms and fewer sleep problems than the placebo group.